B.C. teachers begin three-day walkout with wavering public support

Teachers carry signs around Sir Guy Carleton Elementary in Vancouver on March 5 on their first day of a three-day walkout.Wayne Leidenfrost
/ PNG

Teachers carry signs around Sir Guy Carleton Elementary in Vancouver on March 5 on their first day of a three-day walkout.Wayne Leidenfrost
/ PNG

It was like the quiet before a storm as B.C. parents woke Monday to yet another standoff between the government and teachers.

As B.C.’s 41,000 public school teachers begin a planned three-day strike Monday, most of the public has yet to form rock-solid opinions of which side to support, said Simon Fraser University economics and marketing expert Lindsay Meredith.

But you don’t need to read a poll to sense the public is tired of a seemingly never-ending conflict, according to Meredith.

“Some of the polls have the teachers a few points ahead of the government, and some neck and neck,” Meredith said. “But these governments and the BCTF have been at this game for years, and people are bloody tired of it.”

Cranbrook parent Tyson Hamilton said luckily his wife had a scheduled day off work Monday, but one of the couple would likely have to take a “sick day” on Tuesday and Wednesday in order to care for their two children, a kindergarten and Grade 6 student.

Hamilton said he believes the government is right to hold the line on teacher salary increases, and try to get more efficiency out of schools, in an age of austerity.

Teachers who meet performance standards should get raises, but not all teachers deserve more money, he said.

“They do deserve some kind of benefit, but not 15 per cent across the board,” Hamilton said. “Everyone wants more money but there’s simply not enough (economic growth) these days.”

At Thunderbird Elementary in Vancouver, Principal Henry Peters said he understands parents are frustrated with the “ambiguity” in the labour situation at schools.

He was glad to see that at least for Monday, the vast majority of parents had apparently found “alternative” child care arrangements.

There were only four students that showed up at school.

Arlene, a 12-year-old Grade 7 student, said she just wishes a normal learning environment would return before her graduation in June.

With her was Sean, juggling a basketball. Like the other three students, he wasn’t sure whether he would “hang out” at the school for the next couple days.

“I need my report card so I can show my grades to high schools,” Sean, 12, said.

Among the few support staff workers inside the school, there was a sense that the parents in this inner city neighbourhood would support teachers, but tensions could rise if strike action is extended beyond Wednesday.

Outside, teacher Camilla Ting said she wants parents to know that she personally does not demand a wage increase, but she believes the government is not providing enough resources to suitably educate our children.

She said in eleven years as a kindergarten teacher she has spent so much in outfitting her classroom with books and extras, that she could have bought a new Honda Civic.

“I’m subsidizing the public education system,” Ting said.

“We live in a first-world country and we should have a first world education system,” said Grade 5-6 teacher Shantelle Dixon, adding parents should be shocked by the “deplorable” slide in teaching conditions in public schools.

Other teachers said a wage increase is important, as they see living costs rising in B.C. but wages slipping in comparison to teachers in other provinces.

Principal David Starr of Edmonds Community School in Burnaby said on Monday “we’re open for business, but no kids are here.”

Many of the parents in the area are recent immigrants who will be especially challenged in finding alternative child care arrangements if classes stay closed.

As of Monday, parents seem to be managing fine, Starr said.

“It’s an inconvenience, but I think our parents are very supportive of the teachers,” Starr said.

Yesterday education minister George Abbott said the BCTF’s demand for a 15-per-cent raise over three years isn’t possible because the government is in hard economic times.

Abbott said the union’s wage demand, including benefits, would cost the government $2.06 billion.

“Net zero has been the government’s policy [on wage increases with other unions] since the spring of 2009,” he said.

Back at SFU, Meredith said he believes the teachers will stick to a three-day strike plan, rather than squander support from parents and face hefty fines for an illegal strike action.

The bottom line, he said, is the government and the BCTF are locked in a public relations war. On the one hand, real wages for B.C. citizens are falling due to inflation, so the BCTF will fight for wage raises while a number of other public sector unions watching very closely, Meredith said.

On the other hand, the government will take a firm stand on the “net-zero” mandate, because it is committed to balance the budget, which is seen as the key to the hearts of voters in B.C.’s rapidly aging population, Meredith said.

With an election on the horizon and the BC Liberals under pressure from the BC Conservatives to hold onto the political right, they can’t back off according to Meredith.

“The situation of the teachers does resonate to some degree with the public, and that is disconcerting for the government,” Meredith said. “This is about standing up to the nasty union in order to balance the budget for voters.”

On the other hand, the BCTF is seen to be close to the increasingly popular BC NDP, which will give the union some conviction at the bargaining table, Meredith said.

The only compromise which seems possible is some “creative” accounting around attrition in job positions which would allow the government to deliver a “net zero” deal while “throwing the teachers” a bone under the table, Meredith said.

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